Prince Harry, others to pay initial £9.54 mln over failed lawsuit
Judge Matthew Nicklin comprehensively rejected the case brought by King Charles' younger son.
Prince Harry, Elton John, and five other high-profile figures have been ordered to make an interim payment of £9.54 million towards the legal costs of the Daily Mail publisher, Associated Newspapers Ltd, after losing their privacy lawsuit. The lawsuit, which was rejected by London's High Court last month, alleged that the Mail titles had engaged in widespread unlawful activities, including phone hacking.
According to SABC News, the court ruling was described as an "overwhelming victory" for the newspaper and journalists, while Prince Harry called it a "complete and obvious whitewash".
The claimants, including Prince Harry, will also have to pay a total of around £34 million in legal costs accumulated by Associated Newspapers Ltd. The Associated Press reports that they are believed to be insured for around half of that total. The court will now decide on the financial implications of the failed lawsuit, including how the outstanding amount will be paid.
Prince Harry and his wife Meghan have also announced plans to return to the UK for an extended stay, with their children set to start at British schools in September, according to France 24. However, they will not resume their roles as working members of the royal family. The family plans to live at a private residence outside of London, while maintaining their homes in Montecito, California, and Portugal.
Brief written by urgent.news from SABC News, France 24, Associated Press, Daily Times, Free Malaysia Today — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
